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Dobsonian Telescopes

Dobsonian telescopes pair a large mirror with a simple rocker box mount, which delivers more aperture per dollar than any other design. There is nothing to align or balance on the mount: set it down, point it, nudge it along. We carry 5 Explore Scientific Dobsonians from $449.99 to $749.99.

If your main interest is faint galaxies, nebulae and globular clusters, this is the most light you can buy for the money. If you need tracking for imaging, look at the equatorially mounted reflectors or a refractor on a driven mount instead.

What to look for

1

Aperture per dollar

A 10-inch Dobsonian at $749.99 gathers roughly four times the light of a 5-inch refractor costing more. On deep sky objects, nothing else comes close at this price.

2

Nothing to set up

No polar alignment, no counterweights, no power. Carry it out, let it cool for twenty minutes and start observing.

3

Think about weight

A 10-inch tube and base is a two-trip carry for most people. The 6-inch tabletop model at $479.99 exists for anyone who wants aperture that travels.

4

Not a solar telescope

Dobsonians are night instruments. Solar work needs a purpose built scope or a full aperture filter, covered below.

Recommended Dobsonians

Three of the five, chosen by what people actually want them for.

Best portable

Explore Scientific 6-Inch Tabletop Dobsonian

Sits on a picnic table or a crate and packs into a car boot. Real aperture that you will actually take with you.

$479.99
 Best all rounder

Explore Scientific 8-Inch Dobsonian

The classic sweet spot. Enough aperture for hundreds of deep sky targets, still light enough for one person to move.

$549.99
 Most light

Explore Scientific 10-Inch Dobsonian

The largest here. Spiral structure in brighter galaxies and resolvable globular clusters on a good night.

$749.99

What a Dobsonian will not do, and what will

A Dobsonian is the best value night sky telescope on this site, but it is the wrong instrument for the Sun. The open tube builds heat currents and there is no tracking to hold a target at high power. If you want to observe the Sun properly, Lunt Solar Systems builds dedicated hydrogen-alpha telescopes from $995.99 that show prominences, filaments and surface granulation the moment you look in. Many customers own both: a Dobsonian for the night and a small Lunt for the day.

Lunt Solar Telescopes Lunt LS50THa 50mm from $995.99 Lunt Solar Filters Lunt Eyepieces

Common questions

What size Dobsonian should I start with?
An 8-inch at $549.99 if you have somewhere to store it and a short carry to your observing spot. A 6-inch tabletop at $479.99 if portability matters more. Aperture you leave in a cupboard is worth nothing.
Can a Dobsonian track objects?
Not by itself. You nudge the tube to keep up with the sky, which becomes second nature within a session. For hands-off tracking you need an equatorial or go-to mount, so see reflectors and Mounts & Stands.
Are Dobsonians good for astrophotography?
For lunar and planetary snapshots, yes. For long exposure deep sky imaging, no, because the mount does not track. A driven mount under a refractor is the usual imaging path.
What eyepieces should I add?
A wide field low power eyepiece for finding things and a short focal length one for planets. The Explore Scientific 82 degree series is a common upgrade, and the full range is in Eyepieces.
Can I look at the Sun with a Dobsonian?
Only with a full aperture filter over the front, and the view will be a plain white disc with sunspots. For prominences and hydrogen-alpha surface detail you need a Lunt solar telescope. Never point an unfiltered telescope at the Sun.
Do these need collimation?
Yes, like any Newtonian. Check it after transport. It is a short job and the payoff is tighter star images across the field.